Tuesday Treasury: Generosity Defined

When you think of all the things in your own life that bring you true joy, what comes to mind?  For a lot of people, it might be things like spending time with family, enjoying friends, having success in their careers.


I found this quote on generosity (above) the other day and it really started my wheels turning.  Am I a generous person?  Do I give myself freely to others?  Am I joyful about the time that I give to others?  These are all probably good questions for us all to ask ourselves from time to time.  Maybe you already know the answers to these questions.  Perhaps you need to look in the mirror while you are asking the questions of yourself.  


When you find the answer that determines your generosity, you can do two things with that information.  Be satisfied that you are fulfilling the will that God set forth for you.  Or, if you find that your answer has left you with an unsettled heart, do something about it.  


Today's treasury comes from Etsy artisans who have chosen the path of generosity.  Each shop featured here has chosen to donate proceeds from these items - some 100% of the proceeds - to various charities.  Please visit these fabulous shops and take note not only of their dedication to generosity, but to overall fine workmanship and quality in their products.





So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
Matthew 6:2 NIV 

Spring Fever - Part 2

In case you're reading from some part of the country other than The Great White North, let me offer you some clue about the weather in Minnesota... It's cold.  I don't just mean it's cold in the winter.  It's often cold during Spring and Fall and occasionally on some random July day just to make sure all Minnesotans are appreciating their summers.


Taking that into account, it's probably not a shock that at the end of April, no one around here is laying out in a swimsuit soaking up the rays de soleil.  HA!!  As a matter of fact, since the showers from this month are supposed to be bringing the flowers for next month, I am personally expecting a bumper crop.  Our weather today, for example, is joyous.



Mid-afternoon we have 41 glorious degrees with a high temperature expected of . . . oh.  This is the high.  YIPPEE!!!  Drizzle.  Well, I'm sure drizzle is nice depending on who you are....  And 82% humidity.  Yep, that's pretty wet.  I suppose that's what accounts for the drizzle falling from the sky.  Too bad some of that humidity can't take a hike in July.  But hey - check out Friday - 64 and mostly sunny!  If you're a weather optimist (trust me, if you live in Minnesota, you have no other option), you will actually see people in swimming suits, laying on towels or lounge chairs doing whatever they can to soak in that Vitamin D come Friday.  Actually, the whole weekend looks pretty good.  I will fully expect to see people jamming the lakes.  AHEM.... I wonder if my husband is reading this?  He was in the driveway with the Shop-Vac in the boat last night.  Something tells me "preparing to sell it" was the last thing on his mind...


With the long winters and sllloooooowwwww transitions into warmer weather, people tend to get a little stir crazy around these parts of the country.  Now, you can do two things with all that pent up frustration.  You can let your boredom and frustration turn you to a life of recklessness and crime (oh yeah, we've got plenty of places to keep those folks too) OR you can use the brain the Good Lord gave you and GET CREATIVE!!


As you saw in the first installment of my Spring Fever post, I am waiting for the FLOWERS!!  In the meantime, I am doing what I can to surround myself with my own blossoms and blooms.  My tulips outside have actually started coming out of the ground, but green is still just green.  HOWEVER - I do like green.  In an effort to do my part to keep the planet green (did you like that segue?), I added an "UPCYCLED" category to my Etsy shop.  I have added six necklaces made from recycled, repurposed, reused - whatever terminology you like to use - aluminum cans.  They weigh absolutely nothing and can be made from any soda, tea, fruit juice or beer can that has been kept in mint condition.  Here's a sneak peek:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildAppleDesign?section_id=8058841

To get to the UPCYCLED section of my Etsy Shop, CLICK HERE.


I also have added some lucite flower earrings to my shop this week, PERFECT gifts for Mother's Day.  More of those will be added to the shop soon as well, so stay tuned! Here's a look-see at some of those:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildAppleDesign?section_id=6471685

These floral earrings can be found in the EARRING section of my Etsy Shop, or by clicking HERE.


I will leave my eyes focused towards the REAL flowers blooming, while at the same time staying busy making all of these fun flowers for you.  As always, if you see something that you would like to customize, all you have to do is ask.  I absolutely LOVE making items that are exactly what you have been looking for.


Blessings,

Spring Fever - Part 1

In an effort to kick-start Spring, I'm writing a series of blog posts titled Spring Fever.


My hope is that with each of these posts, Spring will wake up, pay attention and COME TO STAY!!


Of course, along the way I would love to share a few fantastic finds, some creative tips and handy hints for embracing Spring in your neck of the woods. Chances are, you might already be seeing signs of Spring where you live. Here in Minnesota, we trudge through MANY months of frigid temperatures and deal with cRaZy amounts of snow each season. So when SPRING finally gets here, it's a reason to party!


My favorite part of Spring - by far - is flowers. Watching the bright green beginnings of tulips popping up, signifying the HOPE of another season in life, is SO exciting! Not to mention, that same bright green is such a welcome change from the yucky dirty brown leftover from last autumn's leaves and an entire winter's worth of sand that road crews put on our snowy, icy roads.


So, while I was patiently waiting for my REAL flowers to show up, I treated myself to some flowers that I could enjoy every day. That's right, I said flowers that you can enjoy EVERY DAY! Sorry folks, I haven't found the magical hybridization formula that allows fresh cut flowers to live forever. However, what I did find brings a smile to my face every time I see my computer! (How many of us can claim THAT?!?) Let me share:

What do you think? Pretty nice, huh?


These vinyl graphics are called Lirenda Floral and the vinyl decal is made by William and Cindy on Etsy.  To view all the fantastic decals they offer in their shop CLICK HERE.

My decal was only $12.99 - FREE SHIPPING FOLKS!!  It arrived in lightning speed time, which was wonderful considering it came all the way from California.  Instructions for application were included and were super-easy!  From start time to end time, I would say the entire decal (on two sheets, one per half) took me less than 15 minutes.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE immediate gratification!!

William and Cindy offer TONS of fabulous decals, in several color choices.  They even have full-color decals available too!  Had I not chosen the Lirenda Floral decal, I would have selected the Funkadelic Macbook Decal:

Gorgeous, huh?  Here's the thing - I don't even have a Macbook, but William and Cindy can adjust the decal to fit my 17-inch Dell laptop!  How custom-fabulous is that?  If there's one thing I love more than Etsy, it's the ability to make an item more special for customers by customizing it.  I LOVE it when a customer of mine custom orders something!

If I could offer a suggestion to those considering purchasing one of these fabulous decals, it would simply be to have a wide popsicle stick or Pampered Chef scraper on hand.  A credit card works well too, but I have done many of these decals throughout my house and unless the application tool is included with the kit, I have found that the Papmered Chef scraper (the little brown square ones you keep by your sink) works best.  By any means, don't let that deter you from buying a decal - THEY ROCK!!

SPECIAL OFFER FROM WILLIAM AND CINDY's ETSY SHOP:  Did you know if you buy one of the decals from this amazing shop and write a blog about it, they will refund HALF of your purchase price?  Considering my decal only cost $12.99 with FREE shipping, I am simply amazed at what my final cost is going to end up being. 

William.  Cindy.  I have to say, with the quality product you are producing and the highly competitive price even BEFORE the blog discount, you will definitely have me spreading the word about your shop far and wide!

To my readers, may Spring come quickly in your neighborhood!

Blessings,

Treasury Tuesday - Simply Red

The color RED is everywhere: Stripes on our American flag, beautiful red roses from the one who loves us, that shiny sports car we dream about, our cheeks after too much time out in the sun. Red is the fire truck that screams down the street, the color we see when we're the angriest, and the 5-year-old's knee after falling off of her "big girl" bike.


For all things we are conscious of that are RED in our worlds, and those things we take for granted, there is one SIMPLE thing we can do each Friday that is catching on more each day.


RED FRIDAYS. Simply wear red on Fridays to support our soldiers until they ALL come home safe. For full details, read the product description here http://www.etsy.com/listing/68216625/red-fridays-bottle-cap-necklace-2-12884
or
visit the RED FRIDAY Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=194414383922254

Treasury Tuesday

.

Sorry to break the news to you all, but today's treasury is not about Skittles...


However, this treasury IS made from everything edible!


You will also find this collection to be arranged in a rainbow-esque manner.

Why?

Why not?

And who says you can't mix vegetables with candy? Haven't you ever heard of sweet corn or sugar snap peas?


If you can't have a little fun, what's the point?


Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THIS TREASURY ON ETSY
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d7fa547858d6d917c9fda84/taste-the-rainbow?index=0

Wordless Wednesday: Video Link . . . . (patience is a virtue)



http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdl.dropbox.com%2Fu%2F13434474%2FMinnesota%2520National%2520Guard%252034th%2520ID%2520Red%2520Bulls%2520OIF%252009-11.wmv%3Fdl%3D1&h=ac139



Red Friday Giveaway Contest Winners

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Our neck of the woods in Minnesota got about a foot of snow dumped on it over the last day. So much for my dreams of an early Spring thaw.

Thanks to all who participated in the Red Friday giveaway during military week last week.  Luckily, I was able to contact Leah from Cutesie Blog Designs who constructed my blog design.  She fixed adjusted a link, making it much easier to find the place to leave your comments after each blog posting.  Thank you Leah!!

Now for the contest winners...


1st prize winner  - RED FRIDAY Bottle Cap Necklace:

WINNER: 

ShadesAwareness says: ~ Red Friday Giveaway - Support our fallen troops! ~ Post a comment to win! @WildAppleDesign http://t.co/dr0tuaX - 19th Feb, 2011

2nd prize winner  - RED FRIDAY Bottle Cap Magnet Set:

WINNER: 

jaderoseboutique said...

I tweeted - rollingrock53

February 20, 2011 3:20 PM

3rd prize winner  - RED FRIDAY Bottle Cap Swivel Clip:

WINNER: 

Pameladawn said...

I did post on Facebook!

February 19, 2011 2:34 PM

Congratulations everyone!!  I will be contacting each of you individually for your mailing addresses.  Please continue to spread the good word about Red Fridays...